1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to systems and methods for authenticating a customer. More particularly, the present invention relates to improved third-party authentication systems and methods.
2. Description of the Related Art
With the rise of the Internet, online (or web-based) transactions have become an increasingly common method of commerce. Online transactions allow a consumer to conduct an online transaction (e.g., purchase of a good) using a communication device, such as the consumer's phone or computer. However, because online transactions do not require face-to-face contact with a vendor, the potential for fraud, such as identity theft, should be guarded against. For example, a perpetrator may attempt to conduct online transactions using the identity of another person, thereby allowing the perpetrator to fraudulently make a purchase using the account or financial information of the victim. Current authentication systems may fail to offload authentication functionality to a third party, such as a separate authentication system whose primary function is to authenticate customers, and may further fail to authenticate customers using multi-factor authentication methods.